Tuesday, August 1, 2017

For over 50 years, Bob Hope served as emcee of the USO tour
traveling overseas to entertain the troops. From World War II through
Operation Desert Storm, Hope never hesitated to put himself in harm's
way. The well-received shows proved to be pretty popular back home,
too, where they aired periodically on NBC.

Although
no longer televised, an altruistic band of talented comedians have
continued to venture to war zones in the wake of Bob Hope's passing.
Their unheralded efforts are the subject of I Am Battle Comic, a
combination concert flick and documentary directed by Jordan Brady.

The
inspirational film was shot on location in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait
and Bahrain, and stars 14 standup veterans, including George Lopez,
Dave Attell and George Wallace, to name a few. While it's certainly
fun watching them perform onstage before very grateful audiences,
what's far more rewarding is the behind-the-scenes footage of them
bonding with the soldiers.

For
instance, we witness Lopez stick around after a show to sign an
autograph for anybody that wanted one, over 1,000 in total. Then
there's Bob Kubota, who explains that he's actually anti-war, and
isn't there for those who started or profit from the conflict.
Rather, he wistfully recalls the satisfaction coming from receiving a
letter from grateful parents thanking him for lifting the spirits of
a son who'd been down in the dumps for eight months. The
picture also features funny archival footage of Bob Hope and Robin
Williams. Still, what'll probably stick with you longer than any
witty one-liners are sobering moments like a weeping private's
heartfelt reflections on his service and a comic's visit to an
infirmary to chat with wounded warriors. A
moving concert flick that'll make you laugh while bringing a tear to
your eye in appreciation of our soldiers' selfless sacrifices.

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KamWilliams.com

The Sly Fox Film Reviews publishes the content of film critic Kam Williams. Voted Most Outstanding Journalist of the Decade by the Disilgold Soul Literary Review in 2008, Kam Williams is a syndicated film and book critic who writes for 100+ publications around the U.S., Europe, Asia, Africa, Canada and the Caribbean. He is a member of the New York Film Critics Online, the NAACP Image Awards Nominating Committee and Rotten Tomatoes.

In addition to a BA in Black Studies from Cornell, he has an MA in English from Brown, an MBA from The Wharton School, and a JD from Boston University. Kam lives in Princeton, NJ with his wife and son.